Daybreak
by Mirai Kusakurin
Summary: L and Beyond are forced to run away from their home after their abusive father experiences an unexpected and well-deserved death. Now the twins must find a place they can call home, and not too soon after they run away, they do... How long can that last?
1. Chapter 1

I'm back! Yes, I realize I have so many other stories to finish, and those who have read my stories are probably irritated that I haven't in... a year... or longer. WELL, that's because I'm stuck, if you were wondering. I will finish them... eventually. ;; I sometimes get random ideas and spaz for a moment before I actually do something with those ideas. Anyway... THIS story is finished. There are many chapters, and there's another after this one and even before it, though it's a somewhat original story before L and Beyond are born. Anyway...

I'm only going to warn you once: From beginning to end, this first story is filled with sadness, a few happy scenes (not many), murders, sadness, angst, sadness... You get the picture, right? Don't comment something like "You BASTARD! How could you?" Everything turns out all right in the end, but that's actually the very last book. Sorry, guys. But it's worth reading, trust me. I wrote this with a friend and we decided to publish it to see what people think... and if I get enough approval from you guys, and those from Livejournal, then we might actually publish it for real. : D However... that's going to take some time, so I'm not going to give my hope up.

And finally... enjoy Daybreak. :3

Disclaimer: We don't own any of these characters in Daybreak. They all belong to Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata.

Lawliet ducked to avoid a flying object and the glass that hit the wall. He crouched down, covering his head. He'd be stupid to try to outrun the man, and then he'd be in even more trouble. He heard the stomp of boots coming towards him and let out a whimper. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean it!" He didn't exactly know what he said or did to make him angry this time, but apparently he'd stepped out of line.

He felt fingers curl on the back of his shirt and he was lifted. "You useless piece of crap!" The drunk and angered man said, glaring down at him. He threw him, but thankfully the small boy landed on the couch, but it fell backwards.

"P-please Papa, I'll be quiet now. I promise I wont' tell Beyond, either…"

The mentioned boy just happened to be outside, playing with his toys when he heard a loud scuffle, followed by screams. He stood up and ran inside, to see his father… smacking his twin around as he held in him mid air. "STOP!" He shouted, charging at him. He wrapped his arms around the man's leg, and sunk his teeth in it, drawing blood.

Lawliet looked up from his small hiding place on the flipped over couch. His eyes widened and he looked away, not wanting to see his brother getting beat up by their father. The man tried to kick and shake the boy off of his leg. "Get off!" He said, forgetting about his twin.

Beyond snarled, as he clung tighter, and bit into him harder, refusing. He wasn't going to hurt them anymore if he could help it.

Their father kicked one more time, knocking him against a wall. He opened the door and shoved him out and Lawliet dashed out after him. The door slammed behind the both of them, and the dark eyed boy immediately clung to his brother. It was cold, and he didn't even have a light jacket to keep himself warm. "Wh-what are we g-going to do now?"

Beyond held his brother tightly, as they shivered. "I know how to get back in… but you have to stay. He'll hurt you… and we'll never be free unless I go in alone." He rubbed his back, as they stared at the front door. "I'm sorry I was late… I didn't hear it until just now."

Lawliet's eyebrows furrowed and he clung tighter to his brother. "What if he hurts you really badly?" He hugged him, his head leaning against his upper stomach. "I don't want to lose you too, Beyond. I'll have no one else if he… if he…" He squeezed his eyes shut, not wanting to appear pathetic in front of his older brother. He was already six. It was time to start growing up.

"He's not going to hurt us again." He said firmly, before kissing his head. "Stay here." Beyond stood up and calmly walked to the side of the house and crawled under some bushes, leaving Lawliet's view. He crawled into the house, and walked up behind his drunk father… holding a dagger he hid in the boards of the house behind his back. "Daddy, I have a surprise for you." He said giving him a kind and playful smile… despite his intentions.

Their father cursed, giving Beyond a dirty look. "I thought I kicked you out, you little rat!" He grabbed a gun from the table, pointing it at the boy. "Get out, or you'll be dead like your whore of a mother."

A very foreign smile formed on the child's bruised face. "That gun's not loaded." He said walking ever closer to him. "I threw all of those nasty bullets away. I think I'd like some jam right about now."

The man pulled the trigger anyway, but nothing came out. His eyes went wide and he held the gun tightly in his hand. "I don't need a gun to kill you," he snarled, stepping forward, and held the barrel of the gun above his head, intending to bash his skull in instead.

Beyond's knife sunk into his kneecap, making a sickening crunching sound echo into the house, before yanking it back out… waiting for the man who caused them so much torment to fall before him… the way he always dreamed him to.

The man cried out and crumbled, falling to his good knee. "You piece of shit!" He said, knowing that he would probably die soon… His knee hurt so much that he might just start begging for it anyway. "I'll make you pay for that!"

Beyond rolled his eyes, before stabbing him in the throat. "I wish you'd just shut up." He growled, before tearing the blade from his neck. Blood sprayed all over his face, and his shirt. He stabbed him again, and again, knocking him over as he blindly released all the rage that smothered him.

The man cried out and screamed before he started to choke up blood, unable to breath or say anything else until the stopped moving. There was a knock at the door, and Lawliet tried to turn the handle but it was locked. "Beyond? It's really cold out here. Can I come in now?" He asked hesitantly, a little afraid to see what had happened upon hearing the screaming.

Beyond glared at the door. "NO!" He shouted, getting a coat for him and his twin. He quickly turned to the kitchen and ran inside, to get some jam. He grabbed the jar, before kicking over the kerosene heater, setting the room on fire. He laughed, as he ran out of the house. "Here, Lawliet… We have to go now… before the bad people take us away." He warned, taking his hand that was covered in a mixture of blood and jam.

Lawliet thought that his father might be still alive, but then he smelled something that smelled like gas… then his brother came out. He gasped and put his hand over his mouth, trying not to scream. He shook his head and backed up, looking at his brother fearfully. "What…what did you do?" He asked, choking down a sob.

"He's not going to hurt us anymore." Beyond said dully. "He won't hurt us… like he hurt Mommy. We have to go Lawliet. The bad people will hurt us if we stay. Want some jam?"

Lawliet whimpered and pressed himself back against the house, but then felt harsh burning. He moved away before the front of the house was completely taken over by the fire. "You killed him… You KILLED him, B! Do you just think that someone's just going to look at the burnt down house and assume that it was an accident? Where are we going to go? We don't have any money… we don't have anything."

"We don't need anything… but to get away from him." Beyond snapped. "Did you rather let him hurt us everyday? I did this for YOU!" A piece of the house falling from the roof, making the slightly older twin shove the younger away, quickly, before taking his wrist. "Let's go!"

Lawliet tensed up for a moment, and he thought about trying to get away from his brother. Beyond never really yelled at him before, and it scared them. A few cold tears trailed down his face and he wiped his eyes. He jerked his wrist from his grip, but started walking, his lower lip trembling, occasionally wiping more tears away.

Beyond felt bad for yelling at him and to see him cry made him want to do the same, so he wrapped an arm around him. "I'm sorry Lawlie... I didn't mean to yell. Want some jam?" he asked again, holding the jar at him.

Lawliet pushed the jar of jam away. "I don't like jam," he said shortly, almost pushing his arm away. He didn't want to get blood on his clothes. He had to bring his legs up high to walk over the snow, and he would have held his brother's hand for support if it wasn't disgusting and bloody.

"I know… but… you have to eat Lawlie." Beyond reminded him, pouting that his twin wouldn't hold his hand. "You didn't eat today right?" He reminded him. "Want to steal some candy?"

"I don't want to steal anything. It's wrong." He stopped walking, losing hope that they would get anywhere. He wrapped his arms around himself, starting to tear up again. "I don't want to steal… and I don't want to kill. I don't want to be bad… to be able to live. Mama would… hate me for it."

Beyond stared at his brother before he started sobbing. "Am I a bad boy Lawlie?" He asked, falling to his knees. "I don't wanna be bad, but Daddy was hurting us. I'm sorry… I'm so sorry." He wailed, holding his face in his hands caked in blood and strawberry jam.

Lawliet looked at him in surprise, not thinking that he would crack and finally let it all sink in. "Beyond…" He said sadly, moving to wrap his arms slowly around his brother. "I-it's okay, B… We can do this. We have each other, right?" He said weakly, leaning his cheek on top of his older brother's head, tugging on his black hair when he saw some families starting to come out of their houses. "Let's go, Beyond. People are looking."

He sniffed. "Okay." He whimpered, standing up and taking his brother's hand. From then on…they were pretty much alone.

Two years later, Beyond woke up in his uncomfortable bed, to see Lawliet lying next to him, clinging to him tightly. They were in an orphanage that they were forced to live in after getting caught stealing a piece of candy for Lawliet. They didn't mind the place, they were treated all right… well much better then the treatment they had before, but it still wasn't right for Beyond in the least.

"Lawlie, are you hungry?" he asked quietly, ignoring the fact that it was lights out, and they were to remain in their beds.

Lawliet moved closer to his brother, pressing his face into his chest. He shook his head, trying to get the covers closer around them. "No… I'm just cold," he said, keeping his hands in the crook of his own neck to keep them warm. "Don't get up. You can't get into trouble anymore… I don't want them to take you away from me."

Beyond sighed. "But you haven't eaten all day…and they don't care that you only like sweets… How else can you eat Lawlie?" He asked, wrapping his arms around his twin.

Lawliet shrugged. "Doesn't matter… just go back to sleep. We have to get up in a few hours." He curled up a little tighter, wishing that he'd brought his jacket to bed with him. He'd be able to do that the next time they were allowed to sleep. "I'll eat something at breakfast… I promise."

Beyond rolled his eyes before holding out a lollipop. "I knew you'd say that… which is why I kept this." He said, before tapping his forehead with it. "Eat it before you get caught."

Lawliet squinted his eyes open, taking the lollipop with a cold, shaky hand, unwrapped it, and popped it in his mouth. He closed his eyes again, starting to fall asleep while sucking on it. It wasn't much, but he would have to eat the fruit at breakfast at least. He really did hate it when Beyond had to steal for him, but they didn't have much of a choice. He didn't have the best health, and his brother was angered easily… especially when no one would offer them good food or shelter just because they were different.

Beyond watched as his twin drifted off, before smiling to himself, glad to see him eating for once, and drifted off a moment later, resting his head against his… Just as they always did.

Lawliet was woken up by the lights coming on in their room. He blinked a few times, finding that the stick to the lollipop was still in his mouth. He pulled it away and wiped his mouth, sticking the evidence in his pocket. He sat up slowly, rubbing at his face. "Time to wake up, Beyond… We have work to do again."

Beyond stirred, but didn't respond, instead he pulled the blankets tighter around them, and continued to sleep peacefully.

Lawliet looked down at his brother and shook him gently, then tapped his head. "Beyond?"

"Do we have to?" He asked, cracking open his black eyes. "I'm still sleepy."

L nodded, tugging on his sleeve. "Miss Darja will be angry at us again if we don't get up with everyone else. She scares me, B."

Beyond sighed and got up. "Fine." He grumped, following him into the kitchen, the place they're always told to clean for some odd reason. Beyond helped Lawliet move the heavy chair to the kitchen sink filled with filthy dishes that had hunks of old dried food caked on them, then walked over to the fridge that had a huge padlock on it. "I want some jam." He whined, glaring at the lock.

While cleaning the dishes, Lawliet looked to his brother and frowned. "Leave it alone, Beyond. You'll get to have some jam with lunch… They said you could use it on a sandwich, remember?" He went back to washing the dishes, having a slightly hard time getting something red and very sticky off the plate. It was dried to the point that he had to press down so hard that his arm hurt. "What is this?" He asked, looking closely at the plate.

Beyond climbed on the chair next to him and peered at it… before looking elsewhere. "Roger's blood." He said innocently.

Lawliet's eyes widened and he fell off the chair, looking up at his brother in surprise and even fear. "What did you do?" He asked quite loudly, not able to remember a time they'd be apart long enough that he could hurt anyone else. He shook his head and backed up. "You should leave."

"I didn't do anything!" Beyond snapped, glaring at him… feeling insulted. "Roger wanted my knife at dinner, because it looked more shiny then his, and he grabbed the bladed end." He looked at the plate, tilting his head. "It looks like strawberry jam doesn't it?"

Lawliet blinked a few times before he sighed, almost relieved… but still. His response after that wasn't really natural. "No. It's not edible. Don't touch it." He put that plate in the trash after thinking for a moment. It wasn't going to come off. "Don't talk about it like its food. You're going to turn into a cannibal."

"What's that Lawlie?" Beyond asked, tilting his head.

Lawliet sighed again and shook his head. "Nothing, Beyond. Don't worry about it." He got up on the chair and started to clean dishes again, half-afraid that he might find something like an arm at the bottom of the sink

Beyond accepted the clean dishes and put them away, humming a pleasant tune, smiling. When they were finished, he helped Lawliet down, and they started putting away all the ingredients to their meals and other things. At one point he looked at his younger twin and wrapped his arms around his waist when he almost fell. "Careful Lawlie…or you'll look like a ghost for real." They looked at the pile of flour he slipped in, before starting to laugh again.

Lawliet blinked, having been lost in thought. He didn't realize that he had almost fell in the flour. "Oh. Thank you, B…" He rubbed at his eyes, thinking that he might just still be too sleepy. "I want to go back to bed," he pouted, holding his brother's hand for support. "Do you think someone will actually come for us and adopt us? No one else really likes us…" He said, keeping the fact that he was being bullied when Beyond wasn't looking to himself.

"…If not then we'll just leave. I hate it here." Beyond admitted, hugging his brother. He kept the fact that he had beat up a few of his brother's bullies…because they were dumb enough to mistake him for Lawliet to himself.

Lawliet rested his head against his twin's shoulder, resting his eyes. "Why are they so mean to us? We didn't even do anything to them."

"Because people are annoying and evil, and they need to d-go away." Beyond replied, looking elsewhere.

Lawliet's eyes opened and he looked up at him. He got a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach and pulled away. "We should clean the floors now… Then we can go eat breakfast with everyone else."

Beyond nodded, before they started on the floor, Beyond picking up everything, and Lawliet sweeping the floor. When they finished, they headed to the dining room, to see a bunch of children already there, throwing things at each other, and insulting one another playfully.

Lawliet sighed again, gently taking his brother's hand again, halfway hiding behind him. "It's too loud in here," he said to him, wanting to cover his ears. He heard some kids crying and screaming at each other and he moved closer to his brother. "I-I'm not hungry…" He said, pulling away from him and walked out of the dining room.

Beyond followed, knowing that if he got caught outside of the dining room they'd be in trouble again. He grabbed his hand. "Come on Lawlie." He urged gently, taking him back into the dining room. "I won't let anyone hurt you." He had to remind him as he always did everyday.

Lawliet stayed close to his brother as always, and they were somehow able to sit away from the dozens of other children. He was still clasping his brother's hand when they sat in front of their plates. The appearance of the food made him want to just leave again, and he only poked at it with his fork. "There isn't any sugar on this."

"I know, and I'm sorry." Beyond sighed, glaring at his. "I wish they put jam on this toast."

"Stop whining you brats!" Someone shouted, hitting Beyond in the head with a roll. The older twin stood up, glaring at his attacker.

"Do you like your fingers? If so, I suggest you apologize… NOW."

Lawliet stood up and tugged on his sleeve. "No, Beyond… Just ignore him. He's not worth it, you know." He linked their fingers together, hoping to try to sooth him. "Let's just eat, and then we can start cleaning up again."

Beyond glanced at him, before plopping in his seat, glowering at the asshole who chucked the bread at him. "I guess he's scared!" Another kid mocked, before throwing some egg at him. Beyond blinked, as it dropped off his head.

"Lawlie, I really don't like them." He stated blankly, as he picked up his fork, and stabbed his toast so hard it cracked his plate.

Lawliet jumped slightly, gripping his brother's hand a little harder. "I don't like them either… But we'll leave soon, right? We don't belong here anyway." He looked to the boy with his black eyes, frowning deeply. "He's going to hurt you if you don't leave him alone."

"Yeah right." The one who chucked the eggs laughed. "He's too afraid to do anything." As soon as he said that, more food flew at them. Beyond stood up, hitting the table harshly.

"I don't care anymore." He growled, storming around the table to get to the bully who started it all. "I'm going to kill you!"

"B!" Lawliet said, running after him and jumped on his back, wrapping his arms around his neck. "Stop! You're just encouraging him!" He scrambled to try and hold him back, but he fell off. "He doesn't deserve your attention… Please, for me, Beyond. Let's just go."

Beyond grit his teeth, then turned away, grabbing Lawliet's hand. "Yes, let's… We should have just left the first night." He growled, practically dragging his brother out the dining room, only to run into a nun.

Lawliet cowered behind his brother, but the nun grabbed both of their arms. "And where do you think you two are going?" She spat in rough Russian. "You're to clean all of the plates after breakfast again, or did you forget?"

Lawliet whimpered and tried to make the woman let go of his wrist. "Please, Mother Darja, we were just—" The woman back handed him hard across his face so much that his cheek turned a dark shade of red.

"No excuses! You two brats are coming with me."

Beyond rolled his eyes, before kicking her hard in the shin, then he grabbed Lawliet's hand. "Run!" He shouted.

Lawliet immediately started to run with his brother. He heard the woman yell something and he shuddered. He knew that the nun already had a limp, and his brother kicked her bad leg. They made it outside, but not before avoiding all the other nuns. They were like an army… A strict, ruler-spanking army. He was panting when they got out the doors, and he was leaning against Beyond heavily. "T-too… t-tired…"

Beyond gasped heavily too, looking around. "Lawlie… Where should we go now?" He asked. After all, Lawliet always found nice places to stay, and he read people better then most people… and Beyond could break into any lock they found.

Lawliet looked around, his eyes started to tear up. "I-I don't know… There isn't anywhere else to go, and I'm afraid to get into someone's house… what if they're home..." He looked around again to see an old house that looked like it might have been empty for years. "There's one. I doubt anyone lives in there."

Beyond smiled, gasping deeply for air still. "Ready Lawlie?" He asked as they started walking slowly. They looked at the lock and Beyond took a piece of metal he always had in his pocket, before fiddling with it until it broke. "It's… warm in here." He gasped in awe. He took Lawliet's hand and lead him inside, looking around the well decorated and abandoned house.

Lawliet gawked at it, seeing that it looked a lot larger on the inside than on the out. "Oh… It's a very nice house… but there's still furniture in here, and it looks clean. Maybe we should leave."

"Why? No one's here… we can get something to eat, take a nap then leave… okay Lawlie?" Beyond asked, yawning. He was still tired from the night before, not to mention starving. He walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge. "Lawlie they have strawberry jam!" He laughed, taking the jar out…only to find that it was screwed on too tightly.

Lawliet rushed into the kitchen after him, took the jar of jam and put it back. "No. I don't like stealing… it's wrong." He took his brother's hand and went to the couch. "We can sleep here, and then we have to leave. I don't want to stay here for more than a few hours."

"But I'm hungry Lawlie." Beyond whined, his lip quivering. "I want jam… I haven't had any in a month…" He obediently climbed on the couch with his brother, and pulled him close to him the way they always did.

Lawliet pulled the blanket on the back of the couch on to both of them. He sighed, and he couldn't help but to feel a little happy that they found this place. The couch was comfortable, and it was just so warm. He wrapped an arm around his brother, a small smile on his face. "We'll get more jam soon… We'll find a good place. Maybe it will have left over jam."

"Yeah, maybe." Beyond agreed before nodding off, snuggling tightly against his brother.

Beyond cracked open an eye a few hours later, to see a man sitting on the rocking chair a few feet away, reading a book, and casually drinking a hot cup of tea. Beyond gasped, sitting up, while clinging to Lawliet.

Lawliet felt movement and opened his eyes, stiffening when he opened his eyes to see an old man. He pressed himself back against the couch, hiding behind his brother. He gulped when the man looked up and smiled. "Ah, so you are awake. I was wondering when you would notice me." He had a kind face, and he didn't seem angry at all that two strange and dirty children were on his couch.

"We-We're sorry! We'll leave and—"

"No, it's quite all right. You may stay where you are. What are your names?"

"… B… Beyond Birthday." Beyond replied, nervously, still clinging to Lawliet. "And this is Lawliet. Why do you care? Are you going to send us away too?"

That smile stayed on the man's face and he shook his head. "Of course not… though if you came to steal my things, I would be a little upset."

Lawliet shook his head and spoke up. "No! We didn't want to do that… It's just that… we didn't have anywhere else to go, and we thought this was an abandoned house."

The man nodded, looking at Beyond. "And how did you unlock the door?"

"How did you know it was me?" Beyond asked, now hiding behind Lawliet.

The man's smile only grew. "I am Quillish Wammy, but I am going to ask you to call me Watari out in public. You two can stay here… I only ask that you clean up after yourselves and be on your best behavior."

Lawliet smiled a relieved, bright smile. It had been a very long time since he'd looked that happy. "Really?"

"Watari's a funny name… but we can really stay here?" Beyond asked, his hair standing on end. "Can I have some strawberry jam?"

Watari nodded, standing up. "You are to say please and thank you here, but yes, you may have some strawberry jam." He stood up and disappeared into the kitchen, then came back several moments later with a small glass cup with jam in it, and gave it to Beyond. "Here you are." He looked to Lawliet and gave him a sucker, which the boy happily took.

"How did you know he only likes candy?" Beyond asked. "Oh and thank you… sorry." He mumbled, hiding behind Lawliet again.

Watari sat down in the rocking chair again, taking a sip of tea from his cup. "He talks in his sleep," he said, nodding to Lawliet.

"Do I do it too?" Beyond asked, getting scared, he sat close to Lawliet, as he happily ate his jam, getting some all over his face.

Watari paused and shook his head. "No. You're quiet," he said, while Lawliet bit into his sucker and finished it off.

"I'm still hungry," he said, looking towards the kitchen. "Could I have cake for breakfast?"

Watari chuckled and stood. "That's an odd request for breakfast, don't you think?"

"No." Beyond said bluntly. "Eggs and bacon is an odd request."

Watari laughed and went into the kitchen, and Lawliet jumped up and followed him like a lost puppy, curling his fingers around the back of the man's nice suit. "What kind of cake do you have?" He asked, while the old man started to make one from scratch.

"Do you like strawberries?" He asked, while the boy nodded vigorously.

Beyond followed, finishing off his jam. "This jam was yummy… Thank you." He said with a bright smile. He licked it from his fingers and took Lawliet's hand. "I like it here already."

Lawliet nodded happily, not minding that his brother's fingers were still sticky. He felt safe here, and Watari was very nice. Maybe all adults weren't so mean after all. "That's only because he gave you jam," he said with a giggle.

"Nooo… yeeeesss… both?" Beyond asked, tilting his head with a confused stare.

Lawliet smiled and held his brother's hand while he watched the man make the cake. He knew that he would really like living with Watari and his brother. He'd already forgotten that his brother had killed their father, and had long since forgiven him for it.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from the Death Note series or the novels.

Enjoy.

Three years later, Beyond sneezed, as he sat in front of the safe Watari built for him to practice his lock picking on. The eleven year old began to pick at it with his usual pick… only for it to break in half. "What the hell?" He demanded in perfect Japanese. He furiously started picking at it with a piece of wired string…and when that snapped too he growled even more. This was…frustrating.

Lawliet sat behind him, eating his cake happily. He had dark circles under his eyes from looking at the cases that the old man had given him all night, and he didn't sleep much anymore. He watched the pick break and he snorted, then licked at his fork. "You need something stronger, B. You should go ask him for something else." He was only watching his brother because Watari demanded he have a break from the case… or else he would take the papers away from him for a week, and he'd have nothing to do.

"… He said I can only use these." Beyond sighed, opening a pouch full of wires… and one puny screwdriver. "I can't use anything else… How's the case coming? Do you need me to open any other safes for you?" He pulled out another wire, a very thick one, only to realize it didn't fit in the lock. "Dammit!"

Lawliet looked sadly down at his cake. "No… Watari-san said I couldn't work on anything until you open that safe. He said I either had to sleep or wait until you were done. I wonder if he's ever done this with other children. He seems to know what he's doing."

Beyond pouted, glaring at the safe. "If I were allowed I'd blow this blasted thing to bits." He snarled, before picking up another wire, one that was a bit thinner then the last… but it was still too big. "What am I supposed to do?" He asked himself, raking a hand through his hair. He then moved the heavy thing so it was lying on it's back… to see a little opening at the bottom. "Wooow." He gasped in awe. He picked up the thickest wire and picked at it until it snapped open, to find a small screw, keeping the inside together, he then started unscrewing it… when all of a sudden it popped open, and ink sprayed him in the face.

"I'm sorry to inform you, Beyond, that this was the wrong opening… You have to open the front." Watari's voice said apologetically.

"DAMMIT!" Beyond roared, kicking the safe… only to clutch his foot tightly.

Lawliet covered his mouth to hide his chuckles, not wanting to anger or hurt his brother's feelings. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a few napkins, going over to wipe the ink from Beyond's face. "I'm sorry. I wish I could help," he said, throwing the napkins away. "But… I want to work on cases," the preteen said, slumping forward slightly.

Beyond pouted, as he lifted the safe again, and glared at the front so hard it looked like he'd burn holes in it. "Lawlie, this is hard." He admitted, chewing on his lip. "I want some jam."

Lawliet nodded, crouching on the floor beside him. "Why don't you just listen for the click of the knob? Obviously, nothing you try on it will work with picks and screwdrivers."

"I can't stand doing that." Beyond sighed pouting even more. "I always hear more then the clicks of the knob….I hear the gears and how they turn, and I hear whatever's in that safe move. It's too hard Lawlie." He stood up. "I'm getting some jam."

After doing just that, he sat in front of the safe, and glanced at Lawliet. "Maybe Watari will take me with you on this case…since he gave me such a hard safe to crack." He mused, before resting his head against the safe, and turning the knob quietly.

"He says we're going to Italy… and that we have to learn Italian. It should be pretty easy, though. He says it's easier than even Japanese." He finished off his cake and set the plate on the desk. "Are you excited to go?"

"Yes…and no….I don't mind traveling…but…meeting new people seems to be quite a nuisance, especially since they like to pick on you Lawlie." Beyond reminded him, before shutting his eyes. "Now hush, I'm trying to listen."

Lawliet went quiet, but he moved closer to his brother, staring over his shoulder. He knew that Beyond deeply cared about him, but it was about time that he could stand up to himself. He unwrapped a lollipop and stuck it in his mouth, wrapping his arms around his knees. He waited for Beyond to open it for quite some time before he left, going to the room that had a piano in it, wondering if Beyond would be able to hear him.

Beyond's eyes opened, when the safe popped open. A piece of paper came out that read Congratulations Beyond, for opening this safe you get jam muffins for dinner. Beyond's happy cheer filled the whole house.

Lawliet jumped slightly when he heard Beyond cheer and his fingers accidentally slammed on the keys. He poked his head out of the room and stared down the stairs. "Beyond?" He called, starting to go down the stairs to check up on his twin.

Beyond skipped to the steps, and grinned. "It's opened and I get jam muffins for dinner." He said in a sing song voice.

Lawliet smiled down at Beyond. "That's good. Go tell Watari-san that you opened it and he'll probably start on them."

Beyond smiled, and held out his hand. "I know you want something special too." He reminded him.

Lawliet blinked and ran down the stairs, going past his brother. "Quillish!" He said, hopping into the kitchen. "Beyond opened the safe. Gimme!"

Watari turned around from already starting on the muffins, cocking an eyebrow. "I'll only give them to you if you ask me properly."

Lawliet groaned, slumping slightly. "Ugh… May I please have the cases back?" He said in dull Japanese, everything inside of him telling him to be stubborn, but he got the papers back and hid himself in his room to start on them again.

Beyond smiled lightly, before looking at Watari. "Thank you for dinner…but you know, that ink spraying me in the eyes really hurt."

Watari chuckled, mixing the batter. "I'm sorry… I had built that for someone else before. She didn't run into that problem, and over time I forgot about it."

Beyond pouted, sticking his hands in his pockets. "Why did you give me such a hard safe? Is there one like that in Lawlie's case?" he asked, tilting his head.

Watari hummed, pouring jam into the batter. "Hmm… yes and no. I'm not allowing him to go to Italy by himself because it's very dangerous. He could get killed, so when it's time for me to take over, he'll give me the case to finish."

"What if he doesn't need to? What if I can protect him?" Beyond asked, tilting his head. "If anyone tries to hurt him, I'd make sure they'd wish they were never born."

Watari paused with the stirring for a moment, then continued. "You're only a child, Beyond. I don't think you could do much to scare someone like that." He finished and poured the batter in a muffin pan, then put it in the oven. "I know you love him, but there will be times when you can't protect him from the world."

"Lawlie will always need me, he said so." Beyond reminded him. "I will always need him…and because of this, I will try my best to save him from pain and suffering…the kind we had to deal with when we were young."

Watari sighed and stood up straight, looking back at Beyond. He had good intentions, but he had a bad feeling about him. "Just remember that not everyone is as evil as you might make them out to be," he said, then left the kitchen.

"I know…" Beyond sighed, looking elsewhere. Lawliet reminds him this everyday, and yes sometimes he's right…but sometimes he's wrong…VERY wrong.

Lawliet looked up at the villa they were staying in and smiled. It was very beautiful, even moreso than the last house they were in. Plus, it was Italy… he'd never been there before. It was just amazing. "It's nice, isn't it, Onii-chan?" he asked, tugging on his sleeve, while Watari unlocked the door to let them in.

Beyond snapped out of his reverie and gave his twin a smile. "Yes, I'm glad we can live in such a place together. Thank you, Watari, for taking us here."

Watari gave them both a kind smile and Lawliet stepped in. "Woooow. It's even better in here," he said, immediately heading towards the stairs to look around, leaving his brother at the entrance of the door, intending to be on his own for a while.

Beyond started to follow him…then thought otherwise. "Watari, where is our room?" he asked, tilting his head.

Watari nodded to the stairs, where Lawliet had disappeared up. "There. My room and office is on the first floor, and as usual, you need permission to venture in there. The rest of the house is free for you to wander around in."

Beyond smiled, before hugging Watari. "Thank you." He said quietly, before he started wandering around the house, and it wasn't long before he found himself in a beautiful garden with gorgeous flowers. He sat in front of one the way his twin had a habit of sitting, and gently touching one.

"Heh, filthy hands shouldn't touch such beautiful things." A woman spat in perfect Italian. Beyond looked up at her and blinked.

"Excuse me?" He asked narrowing his eyes at her.

"I don't even know why Watari brings in such filthy bastards like you. None of you even deserve life you know." The woman mocked. Beyond stood up.

"And people like you… don't even deserve breathe." He snarled in Russian.

Lawliet went to the window in the room he and Beyond would be sharing and blinked. He was talking to a woman, and neither of them looked very happy. He opened the window to say something, but then he heard what he said in Russian. No… not again. He dashed from the window and started to run down the stairs, not telling Watari why he was in such a hurry.

"You're pathetic, and hedious, you know that Watari is only using you to make himself look good…if you want to threaten someone threaten him. I bet you like to hurt cute little animals too."

"Why would I hurt an animal… when it's people like YOU I want to hurt?" Beyond demanded, his eyes narrowing at her. "I can't believe you'd say something like that about Watari. I hope you die terribly." With that he stormed inside, to find Lawliet in the door way. "Hi Lawlie, why do you look so frightened?"

"I… I thought…" He looked to the woman, who looked alive, just very pissed off. "Um… nothing. I… was afraid we wouldn't have enough sweets and I panicked. Is the garden pretty?" He asked, looking to the woman again, who looked like she might be ready to say something else. "Let's go inside. I'm getting hungry."

"Yes, lets… and yes it is pretty… but some WEEDS tend to pop up it looks like." Beyond agreed, slamming the door in her face. "I wonder what we're having for dinner… Something with jam I hope."

Lawliet smile nervously. "Yes. You know Watari-san always makes something with jam for you." He went into the kitchen and pulled out a small piece of pie, eating it slowly. He was afraid that the woman would say something to Beyond again, and he'd really kill her. What could he do then? Well… there was only one thing that he could do… He'd have to tell Watari.

Beyond sat on the counter with his jar of jam, eating it casually with a spoon. "Stay away from that woman. She's mean." He said flatly, not even looking at his twin.

"I know. She looked mean," he said, only able to eat about half of the pie before he felt sick. "I think I'm going to rest. The plane ride made me feel nauseous." He turned and went up stairs, leaving his pie as it was. He lay down on the bed, on the covers. It was quite warm now, and it would only get cooler at night.

Beyond sighed heavily, thinking about what that woman said to him… and how much it hurt. Watari would never hurt them… and Lawliet was an angel… so why are people always so cruel to them? Tears of frustration and anger filled his eyes, as he stared off into space.

Watari walked out of his office and into the kitchen to see Beyond looking angry. He'd seen Lawliet cry sometimes, since he seemed more fragile than his twin anyway, but he didn't think that he'd get upset as easily. "Is there something wrong?" He asked, sitting down across from him.

"Why does everyone think so little of us?" Beyond asked, glowering at nothing special, still eating his jam. "Why does everyone hate us? Lawlie and I never did anything to anyone unless they deserved it… Lawlie made sure of that." Beyond looked at the floor, his tears falling into his snack. "It's not fair."

Watari didn't know whether to reach out and try to comfort him, or if words would really do the trick. It had been three years after all, and he felt like he was already a father to them… but still, Beyond didn't seem to like to be touched too much. Instead, he stood and got out another jar of jam for him, since the one he had would probably run out quickly. "They just don't understand you two. Many times, when people don't understand something, they try to hate it. But they don't know you, and they certainly don't have any right to feel that way about you."

"Why do they do that? Why did my… my…?" Beyond trailed off, before sobbing. "I didn't mean to do it! I didn't want to kill him!" He wailed, chucking his jar across the kitchen. "He was hurting Lawlie again, and he said he wanted to kill us!"

Watari's eyes widened, and he didn't know what to say or do. They had never told him how they got where they were that day they all met, but then again, he never asked. He assumed they would tell him when they were ready… and he was right. "Who said that to you?" he asked, looking at the broken jar of jam with a little annoyance.

"…My…My father." Beyond struggled, shaking harshly. "Lawlie hates me… I did a bad thing and he hates me for it." He rocked back and forth so hard he looked like he'd fall off the counter. "He didn't want to go with me, and he got scared… People hate us because of me."

Watari looked towards the stairs, but he didn't see Lawliet coming down. He must have been sleeping, because he didn't want him to start on anymore cases while they were working on this one. "Lawliet does not hate you. He loves you as much as you love him. But, Beyond… to kill someone is a very bad thing to do. You killed your father to survive, but you absolutely can't hurt anyone else. It would make you a criminal, and I won't be able to help you then. Do you understand?"

"What if they hurt Lawlie again? What if they hurt me?" Beyond asked, continuing to sob loudly.

Watari was about to respond when he heard footsteps on the stairs, and saw Lawliet rubbing his eyes. "Beyond?" He asked, walking into the kitchen. "Why are you so loud?"

Beyond got off the counter and wrapped his arms around his twin's neck. "I'm sorry." He sniffed, hugging him. "Did I wake you?"

Lawliet blinked, realizing that he was crying. He put a hand on his back, turning his head to look at him. "What's the matter? Why are you crying?"

"I'm not crying, there's something in my eye." Beyond lied, scrubbing at one. He quickly looked away, still fighting his tears.

Lawliet smiled softly and wrapped his arms around his middle. "Okay then… Does that mean I can go back to bed, or do I have to wait until you get something out of your eye?"

Beyond pouted, letting him go. "Shuddup." He muttered, blushing a bit. "I'm going to open a few safes." With that he walked off… looking for the room that Watari had set up for him and his safe cracking.

Lawliet let him go and started to turn to go into his and Beyond's room, but then he heard a knock at the door. He looked to Watari who was cleaning up the glass and jam that he hadn't seen on the floor before. "I'll get it," he said to the old man before he could say anything. He opened the door to see a man with auburn hair, and a boy that looked only a little older than himself.

"Buon giorno," the man said with a smile. The boy that looked like he could be his son only stared at him, like he was interested. Lawliet knew he was odd looking, but he didn't like to be stared at. He bowed his head, looking at the floor, letting them in. The older man went to talk to Watari, while the child stayed near Lawliet.

"Hello," he said in Japanese with a smooth smile.

Beyond came back at the sound of strange voices talking, hoping they were just his imagination… Sadly it wasn't. "Lawlie, who are they?" he asked.

Lawliet shrugged, wanting to hide behind his brother, but he knew it would be rude.

"I am Akira," the boy said, bowing to them both slightly, his blue eyes shining with amusement, though Lawliet didn't know why.

He swallowed thickly and looked to the floor again. "I'm Lawliet. That's my brother, Beyond," he said, gesturing towards his brother.

"Hi." Beyond greeted, tilting his head. Something told him that he wasn't going to like him very much. He wrapped a protective arm around his twin and blinked. "Nice to meet you." Was it really?

Akira cocked an eyebrow, though he kept that smile on his face. He didn't have a good feeling about Beyond, but he didn't show it on his face. "It is nice to meet you, too." He met Lawliet's eyes and tilted his head to the side. "You look ill. My father is a doctor."

"I-I'm not ill," he said, moving closer to Beyond. "Do I have a fever, B?"

Beyond rested a hand on his forehead and smiled. "Nope, you're just fine. Do you want some candy Lawlie?" he asked, pulling out a sucker.

Lawliet smiled and took the sucker, sticking it in his mouth. Akira's smile grew slightly and he chuckled. "You should stay in bed tomorrow. Watari will probably call us." He grinned and turned to go join his father and Watari in the kitchen.

Beyond blinked at this. "Why does he keep telling you to go to bed? There's nothing wrong with you Lawlie." He tilted his head, before looking at him. "Something's wrong with him… What do you think it is?"

Lawliet shrugged, sucking contently on his sucker. "I don't know. He seems friendly, though," he said, still staying close to his brother. "But… I'm not tired anymore. I want to work on the case..." He pouted.

"Want me to teach you how to crack a safe?" Beyond offered giving him a small smile.

Lawliet thought for a moment then nodded, letting out a small cough.

"Are you okay Lawlie?" Beyond asked, as they headed for the safe. "You just coughed didn't you?"

Lawliet bit his lip and shook his head. "No," he lied, walking a little faster towards the bedroom. "You're hearing things."

Beyond rolled his eyes, and they sat together, in front of a small safe. "These are so easy Lawlie, you can crack these in your sleep."

Lawliet sat in front of one, and didn't even look at what he was grabbing. He took a wire and messed with the safe before it opened. "It's too easy."

"See?" Beyond asked, before walking over to an even harder one. "This one takes a moment… Wanna try it?"

Lawliet moved to the other one and got another wire, letting out another weak cough. He fiddled with it for a moment or two before he opened it, but he sounded a little out of breath. "I'm tired again," he whined, slowly standing up.

Beyond rested a hand on his head. "You're burning up Lawlie… Let's get you to bed." He suggested, taking his arm. "Let's go."

Lawliet nodded and let him lead him up to the room. He curled under the covers, pulling them up to his chin. "Can I still eat cake?"

"Is your throat sore?" Beyond asked, running his fingers through his hair.

Lawliet pouted slightly. "No…" He said, looking away from him. "I still want to eat cake."

"You can't eat most cake with a sore throat Lawlie." Beyond reminded him. "Want me to get that Akira person?"

Lawliet's eyes widened and he grabbed his hand. "No. I think he…" He trailed off, knowing that Beyond would get angry and maybe try to hurt him. "Never mind. Just stay in here with me."

"But you need medicine." Beyond protested, sitting on the bed anyway. "You're warm."

"I've gotten sick before. I was just fine without medicine. Remember?" He asked, tugging on his sleeve. "Lay down with me."

Beyond did as he was asked and wrapped an arm around him. "But if you get worse it's your fault." He mumbled, shutting his eyes. He was so tired from that crying fit he fell in.

Lawliet snuggled up to his brother and closed his eyes, but then he heard the door open. "I told you so," Akira said, then closed the door again. He blinked and rolled his eyes.

"He's weird."

"Weird's not even the word… and how did he know we were in here?" Beyond asked, glowering at the door.

Lawliet shrugged and closed his eyes, resting his head on Beyond's shoulder. "I don't know… but then again, I don't really care. I just want to sleep."

"You and me both." His twin muttered, shutting is eyes. He wrapped an arm around Lawliet, snuggling against him. It wasn't long before both of them were fast asleep.

Lawliet woke up a little while later, feeling worse than before…but he didn't want any medicine. It was disgusting, and it probably wouldn't help any, anyway. "Beyond," he whined, pulling the covers closer to himself to keep warm.

Beyond opened his eyes, and blinked. "You feel worse don't you?" he asked, running his fingers through his hair. "I'm going to get you some medicine… whether you like it or not." He decided, before hopping out of bed.

"Noo!" He said weakly, grabbing his sleeve. "I'll be fine. Stay with me. I'm cold now," he whined again, slowly sitting up. "I don't need medicine… I might feel worse if I take anything, and it will worry Watari."

Beyond rolled his eyes, before running out the room anyway. "Watari, Lawliet's sick!" He called from the top of the steps.

Watari was still in the middle of talking to Akira's father, but then he heard Beyond and quickly grabbed some medicine from the cabinet. "I will be back," he said in Italian, going up to the room.

Lawliet was hiding under the covers. "I'm not taking it!"

Beyond sat on the bed. "If you don't I'll eat your entire stash of candy I have for you." He warned darkly.

Lawliet's head popped out of the covers… then he stuck his tongue out. "You'll make me go hungry, and when I die… It'll be all your fault!"

Watari sighed. "Please, Lawliet. You only have to drink one spoonful, then you will feel better."

"Yes, and you can work on your case. You can't while you're sick." Beyond reminded him, patting his head. "Please Lawlie?"

Lawliet pouted, pulling his knees to his chest. "But it's so disgusting! It might kill my taste buds."

Akira was standing in the doorway the whole time, and he laughed. "It will do no such thing. Just hold your breath while you drink it."'

Beyond looked at him and tilted his head. "How did you know he was going to get sick?" he asked, blinking.

"He's pale and he doesn't look like he gets enough sleep. Your immune system will get weaker if you don't sleep well… and apparently, he doesn't eat like he's supposed to, either," he explained, smiling slightly. "I learn all kinds of things from my father.

"… Oh." Beyond mumbled, blinking. "Why are you spying on us anyway? You're weird."

Akira snorted and walked over to the bed, taking the liquid medicine from Watari. He opened it and looked at Lawliet expectantly. "Open your mouth."

"No."

Akira stared dully at him for a moment before he jumped on the bed, closing his nose. Lawliet's mouth opened to breathe and he poured a bit in it, covering his mouth so that he would swallow.

When Lawliet swallowed, Beyond blinked in awe. "Well… that would make him do it." He mused. "You're going to be alright now." He kissed his twin's head, before looking at Akira. "Are you going to be a doctor someday too? You act like you are."

Akira smiled proudly, setting a hand on his hip. "Of course. I already know everything about the human body," he said, and he couldn't help but smirk. "Besides, it's a family business… not to mention it's a career with good income."

Lawliet swatted his brother away bitterly, hiding under the covers again, scowling through the sheets.

"Really? How much do you get for poking at people? Can you teach me how the body works?" Beyond asked, wondering all the ways he could end someone without making too much of a mess. He rested a hand where Lawliet's head should be, and patted his head. "Lawlie you know this was for your own good." He reminded him.

Akira heard a growl from Lawliet and only laughed. "He seems angry… and no, I don't think that you'd really like how I could teach you how the body works. I do it differently from my father. If you know Italian, you can ask him."

"I want to know from YOU." Beyond said firmly, poking out a lip. He didn't like adults much…so he preferred talking to children, mainly because he could retaliate if they mess with him or Lawliet.

Akira cocked an eyebrow and chuckled, turning to walk out of the room. "Sorry, you're not exactly my type… But I can tell you one thing." He tapped a point near his jugular. "If you press this point right here, you can make someone pass out."

Beyond blinked, then smiled. "Thanks… but what do you mean by I'm not your type?" he asked, really not getting it.

"Nothing, nothing," Akira said, walking out of the room.

Lawliet pushed the covers from his head. "He means that he doesn't want to have sex with you," he said, then hid under the blankets again.

Beyond blinked a few times, before looking at his brother. "….Who says I wanted to do that with him? I just wanted to know how the human body works!" He stared at the door way. "I didn't even know he liked boys."

Lawliet shrugged from under the covers. "I don't know… Maybe that's how he found out how the human body works and functions." He didn't seem to think that there was really anything wrong with that, even when the boy was so young.

Beyond tilted his head. "Maybe I'll ask him again… because it's important. I have to know, and I'll ask his father too." He decided, scratching his head. "What do you think Lawlie?"

Lawliet gave him a dark look. "No, Beyond. Don't ask him… I don't really like him. If you want to learn things… go to a library and I will translate the books for you. There are plenty of books, you know."

Beyond sighed in annoyance. "Fine." He grumped, pouting. "What if… what I wanted to know… isn't in a book?"

"Then you obviously don't need to know it," Lawliet said, turning his back to his brother. "What exactly do you need to know? If you're planning to hurt someone, then…" He went quiet, moving away from him. "Never mind."

"Why do you always think I want to hurt people? Am I really a bad person Lawlie?" Beyond asked, his feelings getting hurt. "All I want to know is how to make people nicer… and how to make us less likely to be teased."

"Knowing where to hurt them isn't going to make them nicer," Lawliet said, closing his eyes. "You can't change people. If you want them to change their opinions about us, do something nice and recognizable."

"I wasn't going to hurt them Lawlie." Beyond protested. It was true… He wanted to make people like them, by poking at things inside of them… the parts that made them mean and nasty. "I… I wanted to know, if there was some way I could have prevented… what happened to… to Dad." He stared at the floor, pouting heavily. "I didn't want to kill him Lawlie, but he was so mean, and he wanted us to die. I want to know, if there was a way I could have changed him."

Lawliet rolled around on his other side to look at his brother. "You can't change people," he repeated, holding out his hand. "No matter what you say or do, they're going to stay the same… unless you appeal to them. I would never want you to change, and even if I did… I would never be able to force you to change, either."

Beyond looked at him pitifully. "Why do we have to make people happy… when they don't care about us enough to make US happy?" he asked, holding his hand tightly. "I wish people weren't so mean."

Lawliet sat up and moved to sit on the edge of the bed, wrapping his arms around his middle. "I know. Just don't worry about it. You can only make yourself happy. You shouldn't worry about anyone else."

"… What if… what if you don't love me anymore Lawlie? What will I have then?" Beyond asked, feeling tears build up again. "I don't wanna be alone."

Lawliet smiled softly and hugged him tighter. "I'll always love you, Beyond. You're my brother. I could never hate you, even if I wanted to… Not that I would." He kissed the side of his head and grinned. "I'll never let you be alone, either. We can always be together."

"Always?" Beyond asked, leaning against him. He shut his eyes, cradling his hand like a priceless treasure.

"Always," he promise, nuzzling him and closing his eyes. "I won't leave you. You're the only person that I can trust right now… aside from Watari."

"I like Watari… He's my only friend besides you…. nd that lady had to insult him too. I really don't like her." Beyond sighed, nuzzling him back. "Akira's weird, but I don't dislike him… I don't know what to think of him."

Lawliet shrugged, tilting his head up to look at him. "He's just really weird. I think he knows too much to be only a few years older than us, but he doesn't look like a grown up." He lay back down on the bed, letting go of his brother. "I'm still tired, B. Can I go back to sleep?"

"Okay, do you want me to leave you?" Beyond asked, tilting his head.

"If you want to," he said quietly, already starting to drift off to sleep again.

Beyond kissed his head and stood up, and walked out the room. When he found Akira again, he took his hand and led him outside. "How do you… make people like you?" He asked quietly, tilting his head.

Akira blinked at him in surprise, tilting his head to the side. "Well, they kind of have to like me. They respect my father a lot… and I do other things to make them like me, but you're not old enough for that. In December, I'll be sixteen. How old are you guys? Ten?"

"Eleven… and what are you talking about?" Beyond asked, blinking at him. Sometimes he felt so slow.

Akira grinned and pat his shoulder. "Nothing. You don't need to know right now. Lawliet doesn't seem to like me much, and he might get mad at me if I told you."

"How come?" Beyond asked, scratching his head. "What is it that's so bad about how you get people to like you? Is it a terrible thing?"

"Well, no… but it's sort of looked down upon if you're not mature enough…or even before you're married to someone. It's a physical thing." He said, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"Physical?" Beyond asked, his eyes narrowing a bit. "I'm confused. Why won't you tell me? Is there ANOTHER way you can make people like you?"

Akira hummed, not really wanting to tell a preteen what he did to some of the teenagers his age. "You can do things they want you to do. But you have to change yourself. Are you willing to do that?"

"… No. Lawlie told me not to." Beyond said bluntly. "Why do you have to do things to make them happy when they don't want to do anything for you?"

"It's called having a good reputation. But you shouldn't worry about people liking you now, honestly. Quillish isn't even your real father… You're like misfits around here. I don't know if anyone would like you, even if you did things for them." He turned to go back into the house. "Don't even try it. Just accept that Quillish and your brother like you."

"Do you like me?" Beyond asked, grabbing his wrist.

Akira looked back at him and shrugged. "Sure. You're a good kid."

Beyond let him go and sighed deeply. "Why can't people like Lawlie and I?" He asked quietly, before going inside to pout some more.

Akira watched him go in and narrowed his eyes. It seemed like he depended on people liking him too much. Akira didn't care either way. His father came out a few moments later, saying good bye to Watari. They would come back the next day to check up on Lawliet. "Goodbye, Beyond," Akira said, giving him a wave before he left with his father.

Beyond waved, before going to Watari. "How do you make people like you?" He asked without hesitation.

Watari cocked an eyebrow. "By being yourself." He said simply, cleaning up the tea cups he and Akira's father had used. "Why does it matter to you?"

"… I'm tired of people being so mean to Lawlie and I… What have we ever done so wrong to deserve it?" Beyond asked, his eyes watering again.

Watari sighed softly, sitting down at the counter. "They do not understand you. Unless they choose to get to know you themselves, they won't ever respect you like you want them to."

"I don't care about their respect for me… just for Lawlie's. He deserves it more then me. I'm a bad person, but he's not. He's the nicest person who would never hurt anyone." Beyond explained quietly.

Watari thought for a moment. "I don't think he cares. If it matters to him, then he will try to do something about it himself."

"He should… he doesn't deserve people's cruelty." Beyond said flatly.

Watari sighed again, standing up. "Someday, people will respect him. He's very intelligent. He may even be a famous detective someday, if he wants."

"I hope so." Beyond said with a smile. "I also hope that I can be a great help to him… is there another way I can besides cracking safes?"

Watari smiled, glad to see that Beyond was eager to help him. "No. Only if he asks for your help. You could support him."

"But I want to do more then just crack safes…is there anything else?" Beyond asked, his eye twitching.

Watari sighed and went to walk out of the kitchen. "Be patient, Beyond," he said simply, before he went up to go check on Lawliet.

Beyond sighed deeply, running his fingers through his hair. "Oookay." He mumbled, before getting another jar of jam.


End file.
